LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Kentucky cross country teams open their 2006 season Friday when they travel to Richmond, Ky., to participate in the Eastern Kentucky Invitational. Meet time is slated for 5 p.m. ET at the EKU Woodchip Trail. The Wildcats will be competing against host Eastern Kentucky and border-rival Marshall in their season opener.
The men?s squad will run two separate 2-mile races with a 20-minute recovery period between the two races, while the women?s squad will compete in a 2-mile race.
The Wildcats bring added excitement into the 2006 campaign with the addition of new distance coach Pat Tyson. Tyson joins the Wildcats from tradition-rich Spokane, Wash., and Eugene, Ore., where he worked with the boys track program at Mead (Wash.) High School. Tyson also served as the men?s interim distance coach at the University of Oregon for the 2005 spring campaign, his runners combined for two All-America honors and four NCAA invites, six top-eight PAC 10 finishes, two USA Junior Championships invites, and several appearances on UO’s hallowed all-time top-10 lists.
?This is going to be a good test effort for our young squads,? Tyson said. ?This is not necessarily a traditional cross country meet, but it will be a good test of our competitiveness and our fitness level. We?re ready to get our racing shoes on and compete.?
Friday?s meet marks the first of three meets on Kentucky?s 2006 slate within the Bluegrass State. The Wildcats will remain close to home this season, also competing in meets hosted by Western Kentucky and Louisville. In addition, the NCAA Southeast Regional will take place in Louisville this season.
The Wildcats return eight athletes on the men?s side, headlined by senior all-SEC selection John Richardson (Ocean City, N.J.). Richardson competed in four races last season, placing third at the Woodford Trials and finishing 10th at the SEC Championships in Columbia, S.C. Senior Jonathan Thomas (Frankfort, Ky.), who competed in each of the Wildcats? five meets last season, also returns for the Cats.
?There is a lot of enthusiasm on our men?s team this year led by captain John Richardson,? Thomas said. ?They have really been trusting and buying into the workouts that are a little different than what they are used to. I love the energy that I am seeing out of them. I have really been impressed by our two redshirts John Thompson and Zach Wilder. They are really going to help us out this year, especially with our numbers being a little low.?
On the women?s side, Kentucky must compensate for the loss of senior all-SEC and all-region selection Allison Grace (Marble Cliff, Ohio) who led the squad during each of her four years as a Wildcats. Juniors Lavera Morris (Orlando, Fla.) and Georganne Way (Newmanstown, Pa.) will headline the UK women?s squad this season. Both posted strong outdoor track seasons last year, that included Morris being named an All-American in the 800 meter.
?The women are really showing a lot of energy in their workouts,? Tyson said. ?They are enthusiastic about where we are headed. Georganne Way is to the women?s team what John Richardson is to the men?s team. She is inspirational and a great team leader. We are going to run two true freshmen this year in Claire Laverty and Lindsay Petri and I am excited about what they bring to the table.?
Final results and a complete release on Friday?s meet will be available at ukathletics.com.
